What is the central argument or narrative of the film?
The narrative of this film is about director Josh Tickell as he goes on an eleven year mission to explore America’s addition to oil and to change the way people think about fuel. His life-long passions for nature, organic farming, and sustainability came together when he began this mission by creating the Veggie Van, which ran on used frying oil from fast food restaurants, and took in on a tour of the country. This film focuses on the use of biodiesel in diesel engines as an alternative to using gasoline. Tickell takes viewers through the history of fuel, explains the conflicts and problems associate with our current sources of fuel, and proposes solutions that he thinks can change our world. The film focuses on the use of biodiesel in diesel engines as an alternative to using gasoline.
How is the argument or narrative made and sustained? How much scientific information is provided, for example? Does the film have emotional appeal?
The narrative is made through personal stories and experiences, along with extensive research in the field of bio fuels and references to developments throughout history. A lot of scientific data is also used to help sustain this narrative, including data about how Americans have larger vehicles than people from other countries and we use more 25 % of the world’s oil even though only 2% of the world’s oil is found in the U.S. The film shows emotional appeal when viewers learn that Tickell’s mother had nine miscarriages as a result of living in a region of Louisiana. Science and personal appeal are used to convey the detrimental environmental impacts that the oil industry has, as Tickell compares his childhood in Australia to where his family moved to in ‘chemical alley’ of Louisiana. This film also uses interview with policy makers, educators, and activists to sustain the narrative. One example is when Naomi Klein discusses the effects that disasters like 9/11 have had on the oil industry.
What sustainability problems does the film draw out? Political? Legal? Economic? Technological? Media and Informational? Organizational? Educational? Behavioral? Cultural? Ecological?
This film draws out political, economic, technological, and ecological sustainability problems. Political sustainability problems can be seen when it is discussed how President George Bush was brought into office with the help of the oil industry and there was no way he would ever pass legislation to hurt the industry. It is an economic problem that the price of the oil we depend on is controlled by foreign countries and that our country is so far in debt that we are trying to come up with reasons to invade other countries to save our own back. It is a technological problem that we cannot make biofuels our primary source of energy because when the first diesel engine and car were invented they were meant to run on biofuels. If we do have the technology to make this happen, the greedy oil industry is going to put up a hard fight and we need to eliminate their influence on politics to make this change. Ecological sustainability problems are obvious in this film. We all know that the oil industry is one of the worst offenders when it comes to pollution. Tickell accounts that, in Louisiana alone, the petrochemical industries have been dumping waster products into the land, water, and air for decades without serious consequences. Much stricter regulations need to be put in place to protect our environment and extensive rehabilitation needs to be done to already polluted areas.
What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why?
One part of the film that I found compelling was when Tickell reveals that the inventor of the diesel engine designed it to run on peanut oil and when Ford created his model T it could run on bio-ethanol. This was until someone who was making money in the oil industry pushed to start prohibition, which eliminated the production of all alcohol products including bio-ethanol. After Diesel’s mysterious death people started putting a waste fuel in his engine design. Since these changes, oil took over and has continued to dominate as our major source of fuel. Another compelling part of the film was about the goal of Sweden to be petroleum free by 2020 based on the desires of its people. It is amazing how Sweden’s government responds to what their people want and they are able to remove all taxes from renewable energy to make it more popular.
What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by? Why?
Fuel depicted people filling up their diesel cars with biodiesel at gas stations in the U.S., but I have not personally ever seen biodiesel available in this way. The film also recognizes that since the rise of criticism of biodiesel the availability of the fuel has significantly decreased. This severely limits how many people can actually use biodiesel in their vehicles as a viable solution right now. These factors made it harder to be convinced that this is a viable solution for people to switch to at any moment. We need infrastructure that supports the system better before such change can happen. Another part of the film that I was not convinced by was the suggestion to create a vertical farm in New York City which could create its own energy and grow enough food for 50,000 people. I did not see how this could be a realistic option to reducing dependence on oil. The idea seemed somewhat far-fetched and the construction of such a structure would require materials and equipment that are dependent on oil.
What audiences does the film best address? Why?
This film best addresses skeptics about alternative energy, specifically biodiesel. It is an educational film that is beneficial for all audiences. Those who are already informed about sustainability problems and alternative energies will not be disappointed because the film is comprehensive, touching on every aspect you can think of as you watch.
What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value?
As mentioned above, this film is quite comprehensive and does a good job addressing many issues surrounding current fuels sources and alternatives. Although the film talked about the corruption in of government, I think it would enhance the environmental educational value if the film proposed suggestions as to how we should go about re-structuring politics to eliminate this.
What kinds of action and points of intervention are suggested by the film? If the film itself does not suggest corrective action, describe actions that you can imagine being effective.
This film suggests using diesel vehicles and using biodiesel for fuel. Tickell recognizes that biodiesel generally comes from the growth of mono-crops of soy beans, which is unsustainable do to the pesticides and fertilizer used, so he proposes how biodiesel can also be made from biomass, peanut oil, and other organic materials. Fuel encourages viewers to change their politicians to push for domestic and sustainable energy sources. This film also recommends reducing the use of cars or eliminating them all together in the future. The use of electric and hybrid cars as well as solar and wind energy are suggested to help reduce dependence on oil. Overall, Tickell believes serious reduction of our need for energy is the key.
What additional information has the film compelled you to seek out? (Provide at least two supporting references.)
This film compelled me to seek out where in the U.S. people can buy biodiesel. I found a website that listed retailers by state and was pleased to find that there are six places in my home state of Maine to buy biodiesel and I thought there weren’t any. This site listed biodiesel vendors in 49 of the 50 states. However, the total number of stations that offer biodiesel totals 812 across the country, whereas there are approximately 180,000 places to buy conventional gasoline.(2) The only state that wasn’t listed as having biodiesel was Alaska.
1.http://www.biodiesel.org/buyingbiodiesel/retailfuelingsites/showall.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
2. http://www.programminginterview.com/content/math-and-logic-puzzles
Fuel also compelled me to seek out more information about the Veggie Van. I found out that this vehicle was the first to cross the U.S. on biodiesel fuel and that it gets about 25 mpg using recycled vegetable oil from fryers. The van has accumulated 50,000 miles from Tickell’s journeys around the country trying to inspire change and the vehicle has a top speed of 70 mph. This unique veggie-mobile shows that biodiesel is a realistic alternative to gasoline and that using waste products to generate energy is a step in the right direction. http://veggievan.org/veggievan/
Annotation #8
Word Count: 1,446
Title: Fuel
Director: Joshua Tickell
Release year: 2008
What is the central argument or narrative of the film?
The narrative of this film is about director Josh Tickell as he goes on an eleven year mission to explore America’s addition to oil and to change the way people think about fuel. His life-long passions for nature, organic farming, and sustainability came together when he began this mission by creating the Veggie Van, which ran on used frying oil from fast food restaurants, and took in on a tour of the country. This film focuses on the use of biodiesel in diesel engines as an alternative to using gasoline. Tickell takes viewers through the history of fuel, explains the conflicts and problems associate with our current sources of fuel, and proposes solutions that he thinks can change our world. The film focuses on the use of biodiesel in diesel engines as an alternative to using gasoline.
How is the argument or narrative made and sustained? How much scientific information is provided, for example? Does the film have emotional appeal?
The narrative is made through personal stories and experiences, along with extensive research in the field of bio fuels and references to developments throughout history. A lot of scientific data is also used to help sustain this narrative, including data about how Americans have larger vehicles than people from other countries and we use more 25 % of the world’s oil even though only 2% of the world’s oil is found in the U.S. The film shows emotional appeal when viewers learn that Tickell’s mother had nine miscarriages as a result of living in a region of Louisiana. Science and personal appeal are used to convey the detrimental environmental impacts that the oil industry has, as Tickell compares his childhood in Australia to where his family moved to in ‘chemical alley’ of Louisiana. This film also uses interview with policy makers, educators, and activists to sustain the narrative. One example is when Naomi Klein discusses the effects that disasters like 9/11 have had on the oil industry.
What sustainability problems does the film draw out? Political? Legal? Economic? Technological? Media and Informational? Organizational? Educational? Behavioral? Cultural? Ecological?
This film draws out political, economic, technological, and ecological sustainability problems. Political sustainability problems can be seen when it is discussed how President George Bush was brought into office with the help of the oil industry and there was no way he would ever pass legislation to hurt the industry. It is an economic problem that the price of the oil we depend on is controlled by foreign countries and that our country is so far in debt that we are trying to come up with reasons to invade other countries to save our own back. It is a technological problem that we cannot make biofuels our primary source of energy because when the first diesel engine and car were invented they were meant to run on biofuels. If we do have the technology to make this happen, the greedy oil industry is going to put up a hard fight and we need to eliminate their influence on politics to make this change. Ecological sustainability problems are obvious in this film. We all know that the oil industry is one of the worst offenders when it comes to pollution. Tickell accounts that, in Louisiana alone, the petrochemical industries have been dumping waster products into the land, water, and air for decades without serious consequences. Much stricter regulations need to be put in place to protect our environment and extensive rehabilitation needs to be done to already polluted areas.
What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why?
One part of the film that I found compelling was when Tickell reveals that the inventor of the diesel engine designed it to run on peanut oil and when Ford created his model T it could run on bio-ethanol. This was until someone who was making money in the oil industry pushed to start prohibition, which eliminated the production of all alcohol products including bio-ethanol. After Diesel’s mysterious death people started putting a waste fuel in his engine design. Since these changes, oil took over and has continued to dominate as our major source of fuel. Another compelling part of the film was about the goal of Sweden to be petroleum free by 2020 based on the desires of its people. It is amazing how Sweden’s government responds to what their people want and they are able to remove all taxes from renewable energy to make it more popular.
What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by? Why?
Fuel depicted people filling up their diesel cars with biodiesel at gas stations in the U.S., but I have not personally ever seen biodiesel available in this way. The film also recognizes that since the rise of criticism of biodiesel the availability of the fuel has significantly decreased. This severely limits how many people can actually use biodiesel in their vehicles as a viable solution right now. These factors made it harder to be convinced that this is a viable solution for people to switch to at any moment. We need infrastructure that supports the system better before such change can happen. Another part of the film that I was not convinced by was the suggestion to create a vertical farm in New York City which could create its own energy and grow enough food for 50,000 people. I did not see how this could be a realistic option to reducing dependence on oil. The idea seemed somewhat far-fetched and the construction of such a structure would require materials and equipment that are dependent on oil.
What audiences does the film best address? Why?
This film best addresses skeptics about alternative energy, specifically biodiesel. It is an educational film that is beneficial for all audiences. Those who are already informed about sustainability problems and alternative energies will not be disappointed because the film is comprehensive, touching on every aspect you can think of as you watch.
What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value?
As mentioned above, this film is quite comprehensive and does a good job addressing many issues surrounding current fuels sources and alternatives. Although the film talked about the corruption in of government, I think it would enhance the environmental educational value if the film proposed suggestions as to how we should go about re-structuring politics to eliminate this.
What kinds of action and points of intervention are suggested by the film? If the film itself does not suggest corrective action, describe actions that you can imagine being effective.
This film suggests using diesel vehicles and using biodiesel for fuel. Tickell recognizes that biodiesel generally comes from the growth of mono-crops of soy beans, which is unsustainable do to the pesticides and fertilizer used, so he proposes how biodiesel can also be made from biomass, peanut oil, and other organic materials. Fuel encourages viewers to change their politicians to push for domestic and sustainable energy sources. This film also recommends reducing the use of cars or eliminating them all together in the future. The use of electric and hybrid cars as well as solar and wind energy are suggested to help reduce dependence on oil. Overall, Tickell believes serious reduction of our need for energy is the key.
What additional information has the film compelled you to seek out? (Provide at least two supporting references.)
This film compelled me to seek out where in the U.S. people can buy biodiesel. I found a website that listed retailers by state and was pleased to find that there are six places in my home state of Maine to buy biodiesel and I thought there weren’t any. This site listed biodiesel vendors in 49 of the 50 states. However, the total number of stations that offer biodiesel totals 812 across the country, whereas there are approximately 180,000 places to buy conventional gasoline.(2) The only state that wasn’t listed as having biodiesel was Alaska.
1.http://www.biodiesel.org/buyingbiodiesel/retailfuelingsites/showall.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
2. http://www.programminginterview.com/content/math-and-logic-puzzles
Fuel also compelled me to seek out more information about the Veggie Van. I found out that this vehicle was the first to cross the U.S. on biodiesel fuel and that it gets about 25 mpg using recycled vegetable oil from fryers. The van has accumulated 50,000 miles from Tickell’s journeys around the country trying to inspire change and the vehicle has a top speed of 70 mph. This unique veggie-mobile shows that biodiesel is a realistic alternative to gasoline and that using waste products to generate energy is a step in the right direction.
http://veggievan.org/veggievan/